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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 14 Senior women protest loss of their meeting place by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff True to their word, and carrying signs that read, "Respect Women" and "Respect the Moms," about 40 women protested outside a portable on the grounds of a Sikh temple Sunday (May 14) to keep the space they use as a seniors' centre open. Gurinder Malhi, who claims to be a former executive officer at the Sikh temple Halton Gurdwara Sahib at 2403 Khalsa Gate, alleges management at the temple changed the locks on the facility May 1, so the space could be used as a meeting room for politicians and other high-profile visitors. Malhi, who has been assisting the women with their protest, says senior women have been using the portable as a meeting space. "It is a school portable building that was brought here in 2012," said Malhi in an interview with the Oakville Beaver. "The ladies get together there. They do prayers, yoga and stuff like that." When reached for comment, Harmohan Parmar, a spokesperson for the temple told the Beaver the structure had never been a dedicated seniors' centre or home to any seniors' association. "We never had any seniors' association or seniors' centre here, so we never closed anything," he said. Parmar acknowledged the portable on Approximately 40 women carrying placards protested outside a portable the ladies once used as a seniors' centre at the Halton Gurdwara Shaib, a Sikh temple, on Khalsa Gate. The locks on portables were changed a short time ago, leaving the women locked out. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver the property is used "once in a while," but emphasized it is temple property. An undated posting on the Halton Seniors Association website (www. haltonseniorsoakville.com) directs readers to the portable at 2403 Khalsa Gate for free yoga classes offered Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The posting furthers states the Halton Sikh Cultural Association had granted temporary permission to hold the Halton Seniors Association's classes and daily, weekly or monthly meetings there. Malhi said the senior women have been devastated by the news the portable is no longer available to them. "It's affecting their mental health and emotions," he stated in an email to the Beaver earlier in the week. "These senior ladies and their families contributed so much money to this Gurdwara and now they feel hurt and insulted. They have no idea what to do. They are asking for the community to help get their centre back." Malhi said in 2011, when he served as executive officer within the Halton Gurdwara Sahib, the congregation's senior ladies had long requested the creation of a senior's centre, but the Gurdwara could not afford the construction of a permanent building for that purpose. The idea was ultimately formulated to use a school portable and after hearing about their plight, a construction company contacted Malhi and offered to donate a portable for the seniors at no charge. The cost of moving the portable from Ancaster to Oakville was approximately $3,500, he said. "A lot of donors donated cash to Halton Gurdwara to cover the moving cost of $3,500. One company installed anchors to secure the portable building at no charge that normally cost $1,600. A businessman from Brampton donated carpet and another company did the electrical work for free," stated Malhi in the email. "A trucker brought free gravel and a painter painted at no charge. At the end, our seniors group had a beautiful senior centre that they called their home-away-from-home." -- with files from David Lea Won't Be Beat If you find a cheaper price, simply show us and we will match.* Whole Eye of Round Oven Roast cryovac package cut from om Canada AA ade beef or higher grade or USDA A select gr grade beef or higher noix de ronde entièr entière 2 97 lb 6.55/kg DAY WOW! 20·21·22 Old Mill Bread 675 g pain 3 only Strawberries product of U.S.A., no. 1 grade fraises 2 lb tray 97 WOW! 2 Milk 4L 1%, 2% or skim lait Chapman's Super Novelties 8-18's friandises glacées 2 only 88 selected varieties selected varieties, frozen Coca-Cola or Pepsi Soft Drinks 2 L or Dasani Water 1.5L boissons gazeuses ou l'eau .97 194 427 lantic 2 kg fine granulated sucre 197 Grade a eGGS 12's large oeufs 278 HAPPY VICTORIA DAY! See instore or online for holiday hours. Flyer prices effective from Friday, May 20 to Thursday, May 26, 2016. Ontario stores only. 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